Last week we looked at the sharpest tools in the shed. This week, let’s be blunt, specifically, it’s time to explore clubs and hammers. There are a number of other blunt weapons such as the staff, or nunchucks, but let’s save those for their own articles.
Mechanics
Clubs and hammers have a larger striking surface, distributing force over a wider area. To represent this, we will focus less on big damage, and more on consistent damage, levering Penetrating and Power Strike. This lends itself to slower weapons that can ignore a number of different types of armors as the attacker rattles the person inside. In addition to this, we also want to acknowledge the ability some clubs to send targets staggering or even flying back, and will apply the Blast Boon for weapons designed to knock foes around.
Gear By Power Level
The following section provides examples of weapons appropriate for a given Power Level. As the Power Level increases the example Gear typically becomes more specialized as we move further away from real world counterparts.
Exceptional
Quality Baseball Bat 6
- Parent Attribute: Strength
- Primary Role: Offense
Blast TY
Devastating (Penetrating) MA2
Secondary Role: Defense MA
Reflection MA
Limited: Blast and Reflection can only be used if wielded in two hands.
Cost: 8 + 3 + 12 + 6 + 6 – 3 = 32 / Gear (8) = MA4
That’s right, a good quality baseball bat, it’s nothing fancy, but it will get the job done.
Blunt Striking Weapon 6
- Parent Attribute: Strength
- Primary Role: Offense
Devastating (Penetrating) MA2
Secondary Role: Defense MA
(S) Power Strike 4
Cost: 8 + 12 + 6 + 6 = 32 / Gear (8) = MA4
Be it a club, mace, or warhammer, even a well made baseball bat, these weapons pack a wallop. While not flashy, they get the job done, and can ignore a portion of a foe’s armor with a powerful swing.
Note: For larger striking weapons such as a sledge hammer, or maul, add Limitation (Requires two hands, – 20 on all rolls if used one handed) and increase the Value of both the Gear, and Specialty to 7.
Low Powered
Gothic Flanged Mace 8
- Parent Attribute: Strength
- Primary Role: Offense
Devastating (Boost Devastation, Penetrating) MA3
Secondary Role: Defense MA
Extra Stamina MA
(S) Power Strike 6
Cost: 10 + 18 + 6 + 6 + 8 = 48 / Gear (8) = MA6
The sweeping flanges of the Gothic mace mitigate glancing blows, and allow the wielder to drive the weapon hard into their target, solid blows denting or rending even heavy armor.
Tetsubo 8
- Parent Attribute: Strength
- Primary Role: Offense
Blast TY
Devastating (Boost Devastation, Penetrating) MA3
Secondary Role: Defense MA
Extra Stamina MA
(S) Power Strike 6
Limitation (Requires two hands, – 20 on all rolls if used one handed)
Cost: 10 + 3 + 18 + 6 + 6 + 8 – 3 = 48 / Gear (8) = MA6
These studded metal war clubs were feared on the battlefield. While the size varies, the two handed tetsubo is typically between 150 and 180 cm. Blows from the Japanese war club can easily put foes on their backs.
Classic
Chaos Maul 13
- Parent Attribute: Strength or Fortune
- Primary Role: Offense
Devastating (Boost Devastation, Penetrating, Magic Stopper) MA4
Secondary Role: Defense MA
Extra Stamina MA
(S) Power Strike 6
(S) Staggering 6
Limitation (Requires two hands, – 20 on all rolls if used one handed)
Cost: 15 + 24 + 6 + 6 + 8 + 8 – 3 = 64 / Gear (8) = MA8
The Dark Ages of Europe gave birth to many pleasant, and less than pleasant legends. A number of these myths flow around the fae, otherworldly beings willing to make bargains with mortals for gifts they could barely comprehend, and prices they could hardly pay. The chaos maul seems to be a solution to contracts one can never fulfill. Bound in cold iron, the maul trades the charms of fairies for something far darker. Infused with a malevolence, the weapon itself seems to take glee from striking down the fae.
Homestar Hammer 9
- Parent Attribute: Strength or Mental
- Primary Role: Offense
Blast MA
Devastating (Boost Devastation, Penetrating) MA3
Secondary Role: Defense MA
Reflection MA
Extra Stamina MA
(S) Power Strike 9
Cost: 11 + 6 + 18 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 11 = 64 / Gear (8) = MA8
This unassuming wooden baseball bat carries a long pedigree having once belonged to one of the greatest baseball players of all time. It’s not clear where the magic comes from, but when swung, it has a crack like thunder and can send anything it comes in contact with flying.
High Powered
Gravity Sledge 15
- Parent Attribute: Strength or Mental
- Primary Role: Offense
Blast (Boost Knock) MA2
Devastating (Boost Devastation, Penetrating) MA3
Secondary Role: Defense MA
Secondary Role: Support: Hold Breath MA
New Movement: Gravity Leaps MA
Extra Stamina MA
(S) Power Strike 10
Limitation (Requires two hands, – 20 on all rolls if used one handed)
Cost: 17 + 12 + 18 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 6 + 12 – 3 = 80 / Gear (8) = MA10
This sledgehammer looking tool is based on repurposed Zo technology and may be more accurately a telekinetic hammer. Based on the Zo Endroit staff, the hammer creates a telekinetic field around the head that acts to push anything it comes close to contact with away. The level of force used is proportional to the strength of the swing and mental control the wielder can exert over the hammer. Proficient users can apply this force in interesting ways allowing them to force assisted leaps. While human users lack the full telekinetic control of the Zo, it seems that natural preservation instincts are enough to have the Gravity Hammer create a small pocket of air that can help sustain the wielder in dangerous environments.
Atokngyam’s Pearl 15
- Parent Attribute: Strength or Expression
- Primary Role: Offense
Lingering TY
Devastating (Boost Devastation, Penetrating) MA3
Secondary Role: Defense MA
Secondary Role: Support: Expression MA
Meddling (Disorenting) MA2
Extra Stamina MA
(S) Power Strike 7
(S) Support Actions 7
Locked Power: Lingering and Meddling
Limited: Breaks if used for personal gain, or to harm innocents.
Cost: 17 + 3 + 18 + 6 + 6 + 12 + 6 + 9 + 9 – 3 – 3 = 80 / Gear (8) = MA10
A unique ball headed war club belonging to the Hopi tribe. The head of the club appears to be a baseball sized pearl, clutched by a crane’s talons. The club itself is seamlessly wrapped in white and red bird scale which adds to the claw-like iconography of the weapon. It is believed to be a ceremonial weapon. Yet, shamans and mystics believe it is bound to a powerful crane spirit, and if wielded by one true of heart can be a powerful tool for good.
(S) Support Actions: Applies to supporting others or being supported.
Broken: If Atokngyam’s Pearl is shattered, it will reform, after the wielder attones for their actions and cleanses themselves at the shores of a lake. (Treat Religion as Repair to restore Stamina.)
Cosmic
The Shatterstar 18
- Parent Attribute: Strength or Wisdom
- Primary Role: Offense
Alternate Source: Temporal Manipulation MA
Ranged TY
Devastating (Boost Devastation, Penetrating, “Wall” Stopper) MA4
Trapping (Variable Trap, Power Pass) MA3
Secondary Role: Defense MA
Extra Stamina MA
(S) Power Strike 10
(S) Shatter 5
Limited: Wielder must Attack Supernatural foes in battle and can be compelled to attack Supernatural beings outside of Action scenes, Spend 1 Willpower or sacrifice 9 Stamina to resist the compulsion.
Frightening (The wielder radiates with the same otherworldly force as the Shatterstar.)
Cost: 20 + 6 + 3 + 24 + 18 + 6 + 6 +12 + 7 – 3 – 3 = 96 / Gear (8) = MA12
Also known as Kronos’ Scepter, this ringed mace cannot be dated, but was found in the Temple of Nemesis in Rhamnous. Made of unknown material, with a gold-like serpent curling up around the shaft and along the head of the mace, the Shatterstar resonates with otherworldly power. Whoever crafted the weapon seemed to have one purpose in mind, to lay low the gods.
When facing opponents with unnatural toughness the Shatterstar glows with a red-yellow light. The mace’s blows, crushing foes from the inside until nothing is left standing. However, that is only part of the Shatterstar’s true power. As true as the serpent that rings Saturn, when commanded, the mace can create pockets of dilated time that the wielder can interact with, infusing foes with temporal entropy, or locking them time bubbles.
The Shatterstar comes with a heavy price though as the wielder is compelled to lash out at supernatural foes, as if the scepter demanded retribution for some unknowable slight. This desire seemed to resonate from a place beyond time, with a will unimaginable by mortals that may take up the Shatterstar.
- Wall Stopper: Applies to targets with the Impervious Armor Advancement.
- (S) Shatter: Applies to the use of the Shatter Willpower Feature, and all attacks against Shattered foes.
